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Companies are trying. For many, return to office is impossible as it’s prevented by costs of living too high near offices, a spouse whose job requires a certai

by jfghi 3y ago

Companies are trying. For many, return to office is impossible as it’s prevented by costs of living too high near offices, a spouse whose job requires a certain location, and children enrolled in school in a different location than office.

diogenescynic 3y ago
But why? Companies have never been more profitable and we've been working remotely for 3+ years now. What is the point in return to office if it isn't necessary, means less working hours available for employees (I can't work during my commute), and it costs companies more for real estate? I just don't see the point unless you're someone like Apple, Amazon, Microsoft and you have large real estate holdings you're worried about taking a loss on? But even then that seems small in the grand scheme of things, so I really don't get it.
- dboreham 3y ago
  Not 100% sure, but we know that the management of companies were never concerned with the efficiency of their workers. If they were we wouldn't have open plan offices for software developers, fluorescent lights, pointless meetings, etc.
- vidarh 3y ago
  It takes effort to manage a remote team. It's possible to coast by looking for superficial signs your team is busy when everyone is in the office. In fact, that same effect goes all the way up: You'll find higher management sometimes look for idiotic signs in their reports, such as whether they see them walking the floor. So then of course a lot of managers will be walking the floors and using looking for signs people are busy as a management technique. One of the few times I've ever gotten dinged in performance reviews was in one of my early roles managing a team when I was told I wasn't being seen being visible enough. There were no issues with productivity or deliverables, or staff retention or anything else - I wasn't seen engaging in the rituals that were expected. So after that I made an effort to walk around the office now and again, and all was well and nothing gained, except my reviews improved. Once teams of managers who bought into this approach are suddenly remote these people are forced to learn how to actually manage for outcomes, and that is a big step change in difficulty and effort. In other words, expect the most resistance in organizations where managers have not been used to managing remote staff members and so have never been forced to learn or get used to the skills.
  - diogenescynic 3y ago
    I find it arguably easier now to see what people are actually contributing in a remote environment. In the office, people can just 'look busy' and take meetings and then go to lunch/gym and just disappear for hours. In a remote environment, you have more metrics like how many tickets resolved/responded to, hours worked, meetings taken, what deliverables were completed.
    - vidarh 3y ago
      But the point is a lot of managers fool themselves into thinking those who "look busy" are, and for those managers, it's a harsh awakening.

by jfghi 3y ago

diogenescynic 3y ago

But why? Companies have never been more profitable and we've been working remotely for 3+ years now. What is the point in return to office if it isn't necessary, means less working hours available for employees (I can't work during my commute), and it costs companies more for real estate? I just don't see the point unless you're someone like Apple, Amazon, Microsoft and you have large real estate holdings you're worried about taking a loss on? But even then that seems small in the grand scheme of things, so I really don't get it.

dboreham 3y ago
Not 100% sure, but we know that the management of companies were never concerned with the efficiency of their workers. If they were we wouldn't have open plan offices for software developers, fluorescent lights, pointless meetings, etc.
vidarh 3y ago
It takes effort to manage a remote team. It's possible to coast by looking for superficial signs your team is busy when everyone is in the office. In fact, that same effect goes all the way up: You'll find higher management sometimes look for idiotic signs in their reports, such as whether they see them walking the floor. So then of course a lot of managers will be walking the floors and using looking for signs people are busy as a management technique. One of the few times I've ever gotten dinged in performance reviews was in one of my early roles managing a team when I was told I wasn't being seen being visible enough. There were no issues with productivity or deliverables, or staff retention or anything else - I wasn't seen engaging in the rituals that were expected. So after that I made an effort to walk around the office now and again, and all was well and nothing gained, except my reviews improved. Once teams of managers who bought into this approach are suddenly remote these people are forced to learn how to actually manage for outcomes, and that is a big step change in difficulty and effort. In other words, expect the most resistance in organizations where managers have not been used to managing remote staff members and so have never been forced to learn or get used to the skills.
- diogenescynic 3y ago
  I find it arguably easier now to see what people are actually contributing in a remote environment. In the office, people can just 'look busy' and take meetings and then go to lunch/gym and just disappear for hours. In a remote environment, you have more metrics like how many tickets resolved/responded to, hours worked, meetings taken, what deliverables were completed.
  - vidarh 3y ago
    But the point is a lot of managers fool themselves into thinking those who "look busy" are, and for those managers, it's a harsh awakening.